Why Catholic Schools? – a Student’s Perspective

The following was written as part of the high school journalism class and was also published in the school newspaper, Echoes.

Why Catholic Schools?

by Haley Boushee, a Sacred Heart 11th grader

Going to a Catholic school is a very special thing and not something everyone can do. There are many perks involved in attending a Catholic school, such as growing in your faith with Christ, forming a strong bond with your school and community, and lastly an excellent education. It’s a very unique thing being able to pray and express your faith freely and however you want.

There are many reasons why parents choose to send their children to a Catholic school. Parents have the obligation to make sure their child is raised in the faith and sending them to a Catholic school fulfills that duty. It also gives the students an opportunity to learn how important the Catholic faith is and to grow closer to God.

Catholic schools are different compared to public schools because you can openly talk about God and your faith whenever you want. It feels like one big family and everyone knows each other which is also very nice. Sacred Heart School President, Mr. Adolphson said, “Catholic schools generally have a family atmosphere which is really attractive, and in most instances, students have more opportunities to be involved in extracurricular activities, service opportunities, and travel at a Catholic school.”

Catholic school students also score significantly above the national averages on standardized testing. Small class sizes contribute to students from a Catholic school having higher testing scores. Also, teachers take the time to make sure their students are succeeding in their studies. Students also have a religion class and the advantage of going to Mass weekly, allowing them to explore their faith even more than they could in a public school.

Senior, John MacLeod, said he wanted to come to Sacred Heart because, “I really wanted to finish high school at a Catholic school.” He also said, “The big difference between Sacred Heart and my former school is definitely the faith. Here conversations about life and how the world affects us are encouraged.” Freedom of thinking was sort of suppressed at his old public school. “Also we can praise Jesus all the time at Sacred Heart!”

Many of the students at Sacred Heart like attending a Catholic school for many different reasons. Sophomore, Abby Anderson said, “I like attending Sacred Heart because I’ve gone here since preschool so it’s like a second home.” Eighth grader, Ben Goetz said, “I like being at Sacred Heart because I get to grow in my relationship with God. I feel very blessed to have great teachers who have helped me throughout my journey. At Sacred Heart, I can put my faith into practice everyday.”

Some interesting facts about Catholic schools are:

There are 6,568 Catholic schools in America.

The total Catholic school student enrollment for the current academic year is 1.9 million.

99% of students who attend a Catholic high school graduate. Of those students, 86% attend a four year college.

Catholic schools provide over 20.5 billion dollars a year in savings for the nation.